EOAC and 8 man ball

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bulldog1974

Well-known member
So, after hearing some bull about 8 man in this league, what are your thoughts?
My thoughts are you field a team with less than 25, take your lumps, which EP did all season. EP BOE take notice, your are all responsible for the low numbers in both Football and Basketball. Get your HC in the schools and contain your OE losses. Bulldogcountry and GoalLineStand, what are YOUR thoughts? Looking back, both the football and basketball head coaches use to be in the district.
 
 
Bulldog you and I don't agree on a lot but I'm with you 100% here. If your coaches are around to create excitement and drum up support for the teams from within then kids might bevmore apt to stay. As far as 8 man goes, once you cross that line I'm afraid there might not be sny going back. Some may say that it could revitalize some of these smaller schools, but every single kid that I have ever mentioned it to gives me a dirty look and says some version of "its not football"...every one. It may very well help some smaller schools around the state but in this area there is a stigma associated with it when it comes to the kids and in turn it might actually keep even more kids from playing.
 
Jaws31 said:
Bulldog you and I don't agree on a lot but I'm with you 100% here. If your coaches are around to create excitement and drum up support for the teams from within then kids might bevmore apt to stay. As far as 8 man goes, once you cross that line I'm afraid there might not be sny going back. Some may say that it could revitalize some of these smaller schools, but every single kid that I have ever mentioned it to gives me a dirty look and says some version of "its not football"...every one. It may very well help some smaller schools around the state but in this area there is a stigma associated with it when it comes to the kids and in turn it might actually keep even more kids from playing.
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It’s not football. Men’s softball isn’t baseball either.
 
It’s in between flag and real football, if your enrollment says you can have a full team that’s up to the coaches and staff to field a team, if you can’t get enough kids then let the kids play somewhere else. I agree going to 8 man will basically be no turning back.
 
guyinahoodie said:
What teams in this league have been unable to put 11 on the field?
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None yet, but this is something that not only is possible, it is becoming fact at smaller area schools.
Most league schools were down in participation last season. How many play only 8th grade ball, no Freshman or JV.
 
What's the status of future enrollment at the smaller schools? Watching Lisbon the last few years I believe they field a team in the 30s. I would assume Wellsville around the same. It appears that Hulea has Leetonia in the right direction. I can tell you Valley Christian numbers are consistently in the low 30s.
Unless one of these schools are dropping in enrollment I dont see 8 man ball in the near future in the EOAC
 
Jaws31 said:
Bulldog you and I don't agree on a lot but I'm with you 100% here. If your coaches are around to create excitement and drum up support for the teams from within then kids might bevmore apt to stay. As far as 8 man goes, once you cross that line I'm afraid there might not be sny going back. Some may say that it could revitalize some of these smaller schools, but every single kid that I have ever mentioned it to gives me a dirty look and says some version of "its not football"...every one. It may very well help some smaller schools around the state but in this area there is a stigma associated with it when it comes to the kids and in turn it might actually keep even more kids from playing.
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I'm curious-what school did the kids go that you are referring? I can see a dirty look from a JFK kid, or any kid that goes to a school where football numbers are healthy. But what about a Lordstown kid or a Badger kid? May get a different reaction. Very interesting to see about Mathews this year.
 
Personally, just because some teams are facing lean years, doesn't mean we are going to 8 man football in this county. Small school football numbers fluctuate. Leetonia, I believe, has the smallest enrollment and they seem to be doing fine number-wise.

EP had a bad year, I get that, but that town is too proud and has too much tradition. It will bounce back. May not be next year, or the year after, but they will always be able to get 11 on the field, IMO.
 
guyinahoodie said:
Personally, just because some teams are facing lean years, doesn't mean we are going to 8 man football in this county. Small school football numbers fluctuate. Leetonia, I believe, has the smallest enrollment and they seem to be doing fine number-wise.

EP had a bad year, I get that, but that town is too proud and has too much tradition. It will bounce back. May not be next year, or the year after, but they will always be able to get 11 on the field, IMO.
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Has nothing to do with EP, they will always field an
11 man team. Has to do with a couple others.
 
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At these small 7 schools it would not only benefit Friday night football but also Saturday morning and Jr. High programs. If we had 8 man football, we would have more JV teams and maybe even be able to field a 7th and 8th grade team. Merger of the schools for many reasons would solve this problem, but that does not seem to be happening any time soon. I predict now we will have a team or two playing 8 man in Columbiana county within 7 years.
 
bop said:
At these small 7 schools it would not only benefit Friday night football but also Saturday morning and Jr. High programs. If we had 8 man football, we would have more JV teams and maybe even be able to field a 7th and 8th grade team. Merger of the schools for many reasons would solve this problem, but that does not seem to be happening any time soon. I predict now we will have a team or two playing 8 man in Columbiana county within 7 years.
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Sooner than 7 years. Much sooner. There will be a mass exodus to local schools that still play 11 man ball, watch.
 
guyinahoodie said:
Personally, just because some teams are facing lean years, doesn't mean we are going to 8 man football in this county. Small school football numbers fluctuate. Leetonia, I believe, has the smallest enrollment and they seem to be doing fine number-wise.

EP had a bad year, I get that, but that town is too proud and has too much tradition. It will bounce back. May not be next year, or the year after, but they will always be able to get 11 on the field, IMO.
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What we have been watching at a couple of the smaller schools the last couple of years is not 11 man football either. It is a really bad attempt at 11 man football. I see it happening, soon. The struggle at EP shows that it may not just be the very small schools either.
 
It's not just up where you guys are that there's problems with numbers. An area school had to forfeit a game because injuries cut their numbers back to where they felt it would be unsafe to play the game. Another school went back and forth playing 8 or 11 man two years ago. Now the team I follow is a small D5, but in years past some of the schools we played would have been better off playing 8 man rather than trying to field an 11 man team.
 
bop said:
What we have been watching at a couple of the smaller schools the last couple of years is not 11 man football either. It is a really bad attempt at 11 man football. I see it happening, soon. The struggle at EP shows that it may not just be the very small schools either.
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I've seen Sebring McKinley play twice in recent years. They're playing. But that's about all they're doing.
 
bop said:
The struggle at EP shows that it may not just be the very small schools either.
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The struggle at EP is the BOE's fault for not getting the HC into the schools and not getting the open enrollment loss under control. That fact you should already know BOP.
 
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So, if you’re 11 aren’t better than the rest of the leagues, you would rather go to 8 man and take your participation ribbon?

I can agree that if teams try it here, kids are leaving to a school where they can play 11 man. Seems counterproductive in the end.

I know St Thomas, my alma mater had some lean years, but they persevered and now are one of the better D7s in their region. Small schools have down years and up years, ride the storm and reap the benefits in the up years.
 
guyinahoodie said:
So, if you’re 11 aren’t better than the rest of the leagues, you would rather go to 8 man and take your participation ribbon?

I can agree that if teams try it here, kids are leaving to a school where they can play 11 man. Seems counterproductive in the end.

I know St Thomas, my alma mater had some lean years, but they persevered and now are one of the better D7s in their region. Small schools have down years and up years, ride the storm and reap the benefits in the up years.
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EP had it's lean years, but always had at least 35 varsity and always had a JV, Freshman and a separate 7 & 8th grade squad, until a few years ago.
Foster needs to be in the district full time, the BOE fumbles again.
 
bulldog1974 said:
EP had it's lean years, but always had at least 35 varsity and always had a JV, Freshman and a separate 7 & 8th grade squad, until a few years ago.
Foster needs to be in the district full time, the BOE fumbles again.
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Struthers doesn’t even have its own freshman team most years.
 
In this day and age only very few schools below D2-3 have enough kids to put together a freshman team. D6-7 is pretty rare, and if they do they usually only play 1 or 2 games not a full schedule.
 
What’s becoming more of a difficult thing is when teams play far away games a lot of the times the Jv game won’t be played because the other team doesn’t want to travel an hour plus for a Jv game
 
Buckeye Elite said:
What’s becoming more of a difficult thing is when teams play far away games a lot of the times the Jv game won’t be played because the other team doesn’t want to travel an hour plus for a Jv game
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I've seen them schedule area opponents, who also had no JV game scheduled for whatever reason, instead for Saturday mornings. Even if it means playing some JV teams twice in the same year.
 
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